Railway joint bar



May 22, 1934.

G. W. MULLER RAILWAY JOINT BAR Filed llay 18, 1931 O /0\\ C) d 2 Sheets-Sheet l level L; 18

May 22, 1934. G. w. MULLER RAILWAY JOINT BAR Filed wa is, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' 10.3mm la w, mid/L, mi

Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES RAILWAY JOINT BAR George W. Muller, Twin Oakes, Va., assignor to The Rail Joint Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 18, 1931, .Serial No. 538,323

11 Claims.

This invention is directed to an improvement in rail joints for trackwork, and is particularly concerned with the provision of a joint bar constructed to insure a proper rail gripping under all conditions and an automatic compensation for wear.

The conventional and accepted joint bars are rolled of various contours and by reason of their rigidity tend to wear or break down at the rail joint, and fail of any provision for taking up the wear which begins at the ends of the rails and gradually works back on top of the joint bar. Under this wear there is a material lessening of the rail support at their meeting ends and a consequent more or less vertical displacement of such rail ends relatively, tending to a pounding under the train wheels, with the further objection, under such wear of the joint bar, that the leverage exerted on the bar under the rail wave motion tends to a loosening of the bar fastenings.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a joint bar formed to provide predetermined sections of relative resiliency to gain the advantage of a compensating grip on the rails under the fastening bolts, permit yielding of certain portions of the bar under bolt strain to insure full bearing contact between the joint bar and rail head, and to compensate for the rail wave motion.

The essential characteristic of the invention is the provision of slots in the joint bar, such slots opening through the bar ends and extending on predetermined lines toward the center of the bar, these slots being inclined relative to the upper edge of the bar, either longitudinaly or trans versely, or both, to provide relatively-resilient tion, the parts being shown in normal positions or free of the weight of the train.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, the rails being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the relief action of the improved joint bar under weight strain on the rails.

Fig. 4 is an end View of the same, the rail being shown in section.

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation showing a modified form of joint bar in place.

Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the use of a somewhat different form of joint bar.

Figs. I, 8, 9, and 10, show sectional views of diiferent types of joint bars, each modified in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view, showing the invention applied to the joint bars used at insulated rail joints. l

The joint barshown in Figs. 1 to 4 is a conventional reinforced joint bar, indicated generally at 1, which for the purposes of this invention is slotted at 2. The joint bar hasthe usual head 3 to underlie the ball 4 of the rail 5, and a base 6 to bear on the flange Tof the rail. The slots 2 in this particular arrangement open through the ends of the bar with the area of the head 3, and incline downwardly therefrom toward the central portion of the bar. These slots 2 also incline transversely of the bar, sloping outwardly and downwardly relative to the rail, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2.

In the application of the joint bar under the fastening bolts 8, the base of the joint bar is forced up the inclined rail flange 7 of the rail, tending to compel a pressure contact of the head 3 of the bar beneath the ball 4 of the rail. The wheel loads are concentrated on the tops of the rails at their meeting ends, as at 9, Fig. 1 and distributed down through the bar on lines 10, and whenthe wheel loads pass the meeting ends of the rails, the rail is depressed at 11, forcing the joint bar down at the end 12 and forcing such joint bar up at the end 13. This follows the depression of one rail end causing theother rail end to serve as a fulcrum for the joint bar. Thus the joint bar of usual construction tends to tip down with the going wheel load on the receiving rail, with the result of creating a leverage as described. The wave motion of the rail begins about three feet from the meeting ends of the rails and compels a leverage action on the joint bar. This leverage compels a rocking movement of the joint bar, which loosens the bar and connections in a comparatively short time.

The improved bar of this invention compensates for this action, as with the slotted formation, the ends of the bar are given a spring action, so that when the bolts 8 at the ends of the bar are tightened, the lower portion of the bar will be forced inward toward the rail web and the bar will slide upward on the rail flange due to the inclination of the rail flange 7, and top end portions will bend slightly downward. The middle portion of the bar will thus raise the rail ends at the joint and pull down the rails back from the ends at the end of the bar. This will cause the top ends of the bar above the slots to bend downward,- starting at the inner ends of the slots as a fulcrum point, making a cambered top on the bar and top of rail ball beginning at an angle of 45 from the fulcrum point at the inner ends of the slots to the top of the rail ball, thereby giving the ball of the rail the proper and sufficient tight-fitting contact or bearing on top of the joint bar at all times. Furthermore, this provision insures a spring tension to joint bars and rail joint with compensation and relief for the wave motion and shock, also tending to raise otherwise low joints between rails, and insuring that spring tension which will maintain a permanently tight connection between the rails and joint bar.

Under the drawing pressure of the bolts 8, causes the slots at the end of the joint bar to come closer together at their ends, permitting the drawing to snugly lit the central portion of the joint bar with proper sustaining contact directly beneath the meeting ends of the rails. The transverse slope of the slots provides freedom for the lower portions of the bar under the fastening strain, to avoid pinching between the ends within the slot; the transverse slot inclination also materially increasing the lifting height of the bar ends as compared with straight lateral cuts. This transverse inclination of the slots is therefore an important factor, and is an essential feature of the joint bar formation.

While it is advantageous under most conditions to form these slots at a downward inclination toward the middle portion of: the joint bar, the invention contemplates other formations. For example, the slots 14 in Fig. 5 are horizontal in the joint bar 15, which is otherwise applied to the rails 16 as in the preferred form. Again, in Fig. 6, the slots, here indicated at 1'7 are at an opp'osite inclination to those of the preferred form, that is such slots are cut at an upward inclination toward the middle portion of the joint bars 18, with the application of such joint bars to the rails 19 as in the preferred form.

The slots arranged horizontally will afford relief to the top end of the joint bar and allow the two lower end portions to be pulled inwardly and upwardly to raise the joint at the meeting ends of the rails, thus slightly bowing the bar and rails on top. The provision of the slots on an upward inclination from the ends will obviously permit the bar to yield at the ends under the strain of the fastening bolts to raise the rails at their meeting ends. The invention is readily applicable to joint bars of different types, such as. for example as shown in Figs. '7 to 10, where different types of joint bars, indicated in the respective Figures at 20, 21, 22, 23, respectively, are shown as provided with the slots 24. In Fig. 11, the slotted formation is indicated at 25 in insulating joint bars 26. Here the slots are of additional importance in keeping the joint bars tight to the rails as well as holding the rail ends up. The facility, under increased tightening of the fastening bolts, of tightening the grip of the joint bars on the rails is particularly important in insulated joint bars, as will be understood.

The invention is as applicable to used and worn joint bars as to new joint bars, for in use in connection with worn joint bars, where the wear is naturally in that portion of the bar underlying the meeting ends of the rails, the compensation permitted by the slotted ends permits the worn joint bar to be drawn into such relation to the rails that under the vertical yielding of the ends of the bar, the central portion will be forced into close intimate contact with the ends of the rails at the joint, thus again supporting the joint at the part most needed, and being thereafter not subjected to its original wear. Also eliminates inertia at the joint due to tensioning thereof with relief of shocks.

The improved joint bar thus possesses certain advantages and functions not present in the conventional joint bar, and particularly permits the bar as a whole to'b'e forced into bearing contact beneath the ball of the rail to insure proper and adequate support of the meeting ends of the rails; insures a resiliency which serves to tension the application of the bar to the rail to insure the maintenance of the tightness of the fastenings; compensates for the Wave motion in avoiding the transferance of such motion as leverage on the joint bar; provides, when properly applied for slightly raising the meeting ends of the rails to insure the most effective jointing relation under wheel loads; insures a spring action at the joint to relieve the wheel shocks, permitting the wheels to cross the joint more quietly; and permits slight lateral displacement of the ends of the joint bar to compensate, when necessary for slight irregularity in rail-ball formation, and keeping the rails at joint up and level at all times.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:-

1. A joint bar having its upper end portions slotted on longitudinal lines of transverse inclination.

2. A joint bar having its upper end portions slotted on lines inclined to the longitudinal plane of the bar in two directions.

3. A joint bar having its upper end portions slotted on lines inclining longitudinally and transversely.

4. A joint bar having its upper end portions slotted on lines inclining downwardly toward the center of the bar and toward the outer face of the bar.

5. A joint bar having its upper end portions slotted on lines parallel to the longitudinal plane of the bar and inclined downwardly toward the outer face of the bar.

6. A joint bar having its upper end portions slotted on lines inclining upwardly toward the center of the bar and downwardly toward the cuter face of the bar.

'7. A rail joint bar having longitudinally slotted ends, said slots being above the central longitudinal line of the bar, giving a relatively stiff middle portion and relatively resilient top and portions. v

8. A joint bar consisting of head, web and base portions and having end portions formed with longitudinally ranging slots to provide relatively resilient portions, bar fastening means, said resilient portions being wholly above the bar fastening means.

9. A joint bar having a head web and base portion said head portion being adapted to underlie the ball of the rail, the bar having resilient sections at the ends and wholly confined within such head portion.

10. A joint bar having a head web and base portion said head portion being formed with longitudinally-ranging slots of uniform spacing, the slots opening throughthe ends of the head portion to provide relatively resilient sections Wholly free of bar fastening stress.

11. A joint bar consisting of head, web and base portions, means for securing the bar in place on the rails, said bar being longitudinally slotted to provide relatively resilient end portions wholly above and free of the bar fastening means, said end portions yielding under bar fastening stress and remaining free for yielding under track waving. 

